Glasgow’s Cathedral & City Necropolis

On March 17th, 2018, Alex and I were taken on a tour of Glasgow’s City Necropolis by Tam McCann of the Parkhead History Group and Peter Mortimer of the Bridgeton History Group. It’s well worth a wander round but if you’re able to get in on a tour, it’s well worth it. Anabel at the Glasgow Gallivanter, a participant of this site, is a Glasgow Women’s Library tour guide too.

Glasgow Cathedral Scenes

Necropolis Monuments & Memorials

Assembling at the St. Mungo Gate to the Necropolis.

Victoria Cross Memorial. Reads:

FOR VALOUR

IN HONOUR OF GLASWEGIANS AWARDED

THE VICTORIA CROSS FOR VALOUR.

THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY

THE CITY COUNCIL ON BEHALF OF

THE CITIZENS OF GLASGOW

IN REMEMBRANCE AND WITH GRATITUDE.

From the Cathedral side of the Bridge of Sighs.

“The façade was built as a gateway to a subterranean crypt that would hold the bodies of the deceased safely from grave robbers. But the passing of the Anatomy act 1832 meant that bodies could be released for medical science, its now used as a store room.”

Over the door reads:

THE ADJOINING BRIDGE

WAS ERECTED BY

THE MERCHANTS HOUSE OF GLASGOW

TO AFFORD A PROPER ENTRANCE TO THEIR NEW CEMETERY COMBINING

CONVENIENT ACCESS TO THE GROUNDS WITH SUITABLE DECORATION TO THE

VENERABLE CATHEDRAL & SURROUNDING SCENERY TO UNITE THE TOMBS OF MANY GENERATIONS

WHO HAVE COME BEFORE WITH THE RESTING PLACES DESTINED FOR GENERATIONS YET

UNBORN WHERE THE ASHES OF ALL SHALL REPOSE UNTIL THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST WHEN THAT WHICH

IS BORN A NATURAL BODY SHALL BE RAISED A SPIRITUAL BODY WHEN THIS CORRUPTIBLE MUST PUT

ON INCORRUPTION WHEN THIS MORTAL MUST PUT ON IMMORALITY WHEN DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.

A. D. MDCCCXXXIII

“BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO TRUSTETH IN GOD AND WHOSE HOPE THE LORD IS.”

The formost inscription within the arch is too worn to read here. The marker next to it reads:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF

WILLIAM PEDDIE ALEXANDER

OF GLASGOW AND CALCUTTA

BORN IN THIS TOWN 8TH MAY 1848

DIED IN BAD NAUHEIM GERMANY 25TH MAY 1902

The monument to the left is dedicated to ALEXANDER RAMSAY though the inscription is too worn to make out here. The central, very elaborate, monument is unfortunately too faded to make out any names as is that to its right.

It’s a wee bit of a climb to get to the apex of the necropolis. The monument to the right is very faded but the names JAMES MCCLELLAND and WILHELMINA BOYD SIMPSON can still be read.

These 3 monuments used to be 4, if I remember correctly, though that’s all my memory gives me for these. They are related in some way (I will find out!). The only inscription that can be (kind of) read is that of the middle memorial:

ERECTED BY THE CORPORATION

OF THE CITY OF GLASGOW

IN MEMORY OF

ROBERT FORREST

[Lacuna]

WHO WAS KILLED AT [Lacuna] PIT AYRSHIRE

ON THE 20TH OCTOBER 1893.

It seems as though they were victims of some kind of mining disaster.

To the left we have a monument to the Graham family. Names that can be read here are JAMES GRAHAM and MARGARET SCOTT GRAHAM. In the middle is the Malcolm family monument which reads:

MALCOLM

1842

SACRED TO THE MEMORY

There are too many faded bits to attempt to decipher but the names that can be made out are:

WILLIAM MALCOLM

MARY SMYTHE HIS WIFE

CHARLOTTE FERRIER HIS MOTHER

JOHN MALCOLM HIS BROTHER

MARGARET MALCOLM HIS SISTER

MARY MALCOLM HIS SISTER

ALEXANDER MALCOLM HIS BROTHER

GEORGE MALCOLM HIS NEPHEW

———

WILLIAM MALCOLM

AMELIA JANE HOLDSWORTH HIS WIFE

SAMUEL S. MALCOLM HIS BROTHER

———

ELIZABETH LEITH HENDERSON

ELIZABETH AMY MALCOLM

———

BRIGADIER GENERAL

HENRY HUNTLY LEITH MALCOLM CB, CMG, DSO

[Lacuna] HIGHLANDERS, THE BLACK WATCH

[Lacuna] QUEEN’S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

———

FLORENCE MACLEAN

LOUISA HUNTLY DUTTON.

The monument to the right is for the Cassels family and reads:

ROBERT CASSELS

———

ROBERT CASSELS, IRONMASTER,

GLASGOW,

DIED 12TH FEB. 1890, AGED 78 YEARS

MARY WILSON, HIS WIFE,

DIED 22ND AUG. 1890, AGED 73 YEARS

THOMAS WILSON, THEIR SON,

DIED 11TH MAY 1871, AGED 25 YEARS

HELEN RAE COCHRAN

WIFE OF ROBERT CASSELS, J

DIED 7TH APRIL, 1878, AGED 23 YEARS

THEIR SON

ROBERT THOMAS

DIED 16TH APRIL 1878, AGED 17 DAYS

PETER WILSON,

SON OF ROBERT CASSELS,

DIED 8TH JULY 1905, IN HIS 54TH YEAR

AGNES BRYSON,

DAUGHTER OF ROBERT CASSELS,

DIED 20TH NOV. 1940, AGED 82 YEARS

———

JOHN R. CASSELS

———

JANE TORRANCE CROSS

HIS WIFE,

DIED 24TH OCT. 1880, AGED 32 YEARS

JANE CROSS WILSON

HIS YOUNGER DAUGHTER,

DIED 16TH MARCH 1904, AGED 23 YEARS

THE ABOVE JOHN R. CASSELS

DIED 25TH MAY 1906, AGED 62 YEARS

ROBERT WILLIAM CASSELS HIS SON

PRIVATE 10TH ROYAL FUSILIERS

FELL AT THE BATTLE OF THE ANCRE

17TH NOVEMBER 1916, AGED 40 YEARS

JOHN KNOX’S towering monument. The inscription on one side reads:

TO TESTIFY GRATITUDE FOR INESTIMABLE SERVICES

IN THE CAUSE OF RELIGION, EDUCATION, AND CIVIL LIBERTY;

TO AWAKEN ADMIRATION

OF THAT INTEGRITY, DISINTERESTEDNESS, AND COURAGE,

WHICH STOOD UNSHAKEN IN TH MIDST OF TRIALS,

AND IN THE MAINTENANCE OF THE HIGHEST OBJECTS; FINALLY,

TO CHERISH UNCEASING REVERENCE FOR THE PRINCIPLES AND

BLESSINGS OF THAT GREAT REFORMATION,

BY THE INFLUENCE OF WHICH OUR COUNTRY, THROUGH THE

MIDST OF DIFFICULTIES,

HAS ARISEN TO HONOUR, PROSPERITY, AND HAPPINESS.

THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION

TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN KNOX;

THE CHIEF INSTRUMENT UNDER GOD, OF THE REFORMATION IN SCOTLAND,

ON THE 22ND DAY OF SEPTEMBER 1825.

HE DIED REJOICING IN THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL [Lacuna] AT EDINBURGH,

ON THE 24TH NOVEMBER A. D. 1572, IN THE 67TH YEAR OF HIS AGE.

A friend had suggested I look out for gravestones with seashells decorating them. He wasn’t sure if they had any particular meaning. I did make a point of asking on the tour but was told they probably really are just for decoration rather than indicating a seafaring link to the occupant.

The inscription on the left reads:

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY OF

JANE FULTON,

WIFE OF

JOHN BUCHANAN, OF GLENLORA.

DIED 29 AUGUST 1852.

AND OF

MARION BUCHANAN,

HIS SISTER

DIED 6TH APRIL 1869.

AND OF

ELIZABETH BUCHANAN,

HIS SISTER

WIFE OF JAMES OGILVY MACK,

DIED 4TH DECEMBER 1867.

AND OF THE ABOVE

JOHN BUCHANAN, LATE OF GLENLORA

DIED 27TH SEPTEMBER 1880

AND OF

JANE BUCHANAN,

HIS SISTER

DIED 19TH JUNE 1883.

That of the marker on the right reads:

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY OF

ANNA BUCHANAN,

WIDOW OF

JOHN MCKERRELL, ESQ.

AND LATTERLY OF

JAMES BROWN ESQ.

DIED 14TH OCTOBER 1880

ALSO OF HER ONLY CHILD

JOANNA

DAUGHTER OF THE ABOVE NAMED

JOHN MCKERRELL, ESQ.

DIED 1ST DECEMBER 1907.

The John Knox monument is to the left here. The letters are disappearing from the Rev. Dr. Duncan MacFarlane’s monument which reads:

IN MEMORY

OF THE VERY REVEREND

DUNCAN MACFARLAN. D.D.

BORN 1771.- DIED 1857

SUCCEEDED HIS FATHER AS MINISTER

OF DRYMEN 1792.

BECAME PRINCIPAL

OF GLASGOW COLLEGE 1823

AND

[Lacuna]

THE ORIGINAL PARISH OF GLASGOW.

ERECTED 1861

Henry Monteith’s monument, on the left side here, reads:

HENRY MONTEITH

OF CARSTAIRS

DIED A.D. 1848

AGED 83 YEARS

[Lacuna] BELOVED DAUGHTER

LORD•JESUS•RECEIVE•MY•SPIRIT

and to the right, reads:

MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

IN

SEVERAL PARLIAMENTS

IN•GOD•HAVE•[Lacuna]

Wingate memorial to the left reads:

IN MEMORY OF

JAMES WINGATE

MERCHANT.

Then it’s very difficult to make out but we have the names JOHN, WILLIAM, MARGARET HILL, AGNES COOK, GEORGE HILL, MARGARET and CHRISTINA.

OF WILLIAM J GOVAN BORN 12

AUG 1847 DIED 15 NOV 1876

WILLIAM GOVAN BORN 27 NOV

1819 DIED 25 SEPT 1883

———

JAMES MANN

BORN 26 JUNE

1811 DIED 28 FEBRUARY

1884 JANE JESSIE ARTHUR

HIS WIFE BORN 11 OCTOBER

1818 DIED 26 FEBRUARY 1865

ALSO HIS WIFE CATHERINE

CROALL MATHERS BORN

27 JANUARY 1836 DIED 10

OCTOBER 1898

Memorial to members of the WHITELAW family.

The memorial crypt of MAJOR ARCHIBALD DOUGLAS MONTEATH of which Tam writes in his article:

“Major Archibald Douglas Monteath served in the East India Company. Allegedly, Monteath made his fortune when an elephant carrying precious gems belonging to a Maharajah was captured and ‘relieved’ of its load by him. When he died £1,000 was left to build his monument. There was a shortfall, however, the Merchants’ House gifted the extra land needed and this spectacular mausoleum was built. Based on the Knights Templar Church of the Holy Sepulchre, though experts dispute whether it is modeled on the Jerusalem Church.”

I love how nature is left to do its thing in the Necropolis. Makes for a more beautiful setting in which to be interred and visit loved ones.

3 thoughts on “Glasgow’s Cathedral & City Necropolis”

The ones with lists of babies and children are always awfully sad. I love the angel on the Whitelaw memorial. For years it has held a pink flower, but the last few times I have been there it hasn’t. I wonder who was bringing the flowers – and why they stopped.